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After I quit my job and started working at the deli/teaching yoga, I was seriously down some cash and needed to find a way to make ends meet. My parents (local and working entirely way too much) asked if I would be their ‘personal chef’ for a while, as I got my finances under control. I would cook for hours on Sundays preparing a menu of 3 side dishes and 3 main dishes, then freeze and deliver. Understandably there were some serious mishaps (Chicken Vesuvius was never attempted again), but this Warm Sweet-n-Savory Potato Salad turned out awesome. This is a twist on German potato salad and is great in the winter served warm.

Cutting the potatoes: You want them to be the same size. Sweet potatoes cook faster than regular white potatoes, so don’t freak out if you make them a little bigger. Split sweet potatoes/yams in half lengthwise, then again lengthwise. Chop into 1″ chunks. Slice Fingerling’s in half, then half again.

Preheat oven to 475*F.
Prepare potatoes by cutting into 1″ bite sized pieces; bring 1 teaspoon salt and a few cups of water to a boil, add potatoes and cook for 6 minutes, until a fork can pierce but not mash the potatoes. Strain and gently toss with olive oil (using the same pot you boiled in saves dishes!); spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

In the top half of oven, bake for 10 minutes, toss to brown alternate sides, bake 10 minutes longer, potatoes will begin to brown and crisp. Toss with fresh celery and vinaigrette. Marinate for 10 minutes.

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve. Note: this dish gets better the next day – make ahead and enjoy the fruits of your labor-less cooking.